


Laybrinth au

by ink_quill_pen



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Laybrinth au, M/M, Snazzy gay demons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:06:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27699392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ink_quill_pen/pseuds/ink_quill_pen
Summary: Abduxuel is bored and makes the mistake of taking Yukio away from Rin
Relationships: Amaimon (Ao no Exorcist)/Original Character(s), Amaimon/Mephisto Pheles, Amaimon/Okumura Rin, Amaimon/Okumura Rin/Mephisto Pheles, Mephisto Pheles/Original Male Character(s), Okumura Rin/Mephisto Pheles, Okumura Rin/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	Laybrinth au

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheBeingOfEverything](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBeingOfEverything/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Happily Ever Afters: The Abduxuel Sides](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24684808) by [TheBeingOfEverything](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBeingOfEverything/pseuds/TheBeingOfEverything). 



> It’s surprising to see what you can do in one month. I somehow was able to make this. So Abduxuel in an OC of TBOE I suggest you go follow her, she is an amazing author and deserves a lot of love for her works. Her works have inspired me to push myself and become a better author in general. So big kudos to her, and big thanks for letting me kidnap her OC to make this au.

“Hey, Yukio!” Rin called happily walking over to his brother. The younger twin was positioned at his desk, writing something out. What he was writing Rin didn’t know and truly didn’t care. 

“Whatcha doing?” 

“I am finishing the lesson plan for this week,” Yukio replied, not even sparing a glance at his brother as he wrote.

“Well if you are almost done with that maybe we could go on a walk, or something like that,” Rin added happily.

“Shouldn’t you be studying? You have a history exam on Tuesday, and not to mention the English paper that is due on Friday, have you even started on that?”

“Of course I have started! I’m not that unreliable,”

“And studying?”

“Well I turned in all my homework and I didn’t fall asleep in class,”

“But you still need to study,”

“ I already know everything! Why do I need to reread the same history I have already read? Honestly four eyes you make no sense” Rin scoffed flopping down on his bed. “Is it too much to ask that you get a little bit of time to breath,”

“I don’t have time to waste, and neither do you Rin! It seems you have forgotten about your deal with the order!” 

“It’s always about my deal with the order, isn’t it? The order didn’t say anything about passing my normal classes but I still work my ass for that, besides I have nearly mastered my flames I don’t see why it’s such a big deal to you,”

“Your attitude is the problem Rin, you are acting like this isn’t a big deal!”

“Why are you still making such a big deal about this? I can control my flames, and besides, you know I have been getting better at all that exorcism stuff,” Rin scoffed. “If anything you should be less worried,”

“Rin I am just worried about you, and you aren’t making a good case for yourself. We still don’t know if we can trust the space king,”

“He has a name Yukio,” Rin growled in response. “It’s hard to say but he does have a name!”

“I still don’t think he is someone he can trust, he seems too close to Mephisto to just be completely neutral… Just be careful Rin,”

“I can take care of myself Yukio. I don’t need you micromanaging how to look after myself,” Rin growled. “Besides Abduxuel is not some wild dog,”

“You’re right, he is a wild demon. I don’t understand why you are being so defensive,”

“I know more about him than you do, you should give him some credit,”

“And that's another thing Rin, you don’t tell me anything anymore, you are hiding so much from me. How am I supposed to trust him when I can't even trust you anymore,”

“What are you saying Yukio?”

“Ever since you got back from Gehenna you have been acting weird,”

“Weird how?”

“You just don’t care, nothing seems like to be a big deal to you, and all your attention is on Amaimon, Mephisto, or the space king,”

“His name is Abduxuel,” Rin corrected, his pupils sharpening. “And? So what if I am acting differently? I am happy and doing well in my classes you should be happy too. Still, you are finding ways to be disappointed!”

“I am just trying to look after you Rin!”

“Are you Yukio? Or are you just jealous?”

“I am not jealous!”

“Sure, Yukio.” Rin snapped. “Is it too much to ask for you to be proud of me for just once,”

“Is it too much to ask that you just be responsible for once?”

Rin stood silent, thinking back to a simpler time. When Yukio relied on him, trusted him. A time when his brother didn’t look down on him. 

“I wish you still cared about me Yukio,” Rin scoffed leaving the room.

Oddly enough he didn’t hear a response from Yukio, no snide remark, no huff, not even a small growl… Just silence. Almost as if Yukio disappeared entirely…

Turning back to face the room, Rin could only wish to see Yukio unharmed by himself. His brother at times was more of a danger to himself than anyone else.

“Well hello, Rin,” Abduxuel purred, sitting happily on the window sill.

“Abduxuel why are you here? Where did Yukio go?” Rin asked in confusion, scanning the room for any trace of his human twin.

“I am fulfilling the wish you had, you are welcome,” The space king replied, ignoring the impolite greeting from the younger being.

“Where is Yukio?” Rin questioned his voice halting his throat as panic set in. 

“You don’t need to worry about such trivial things Rin. I have taken care of it,” Abduxuel sang softly to the Nephilim, trying to soothe him.

“Abduxuel where is Yukio?” Rin growled, his eyes flaring softly as he glowered at Abduxuel.

“Oh getting dangerous are we?” The sight of the soft glow of Rin’s eyes perked the king’s interest. “Do you honestly think it is smart to challenge me at this point Rin?”

“Where is my brother?” Rin snapped, a small demonic growl spouted out as he jumped at the demon king.

“I don’t understand all the fuss, I am only doing what you wished for,” Abduxuel sighed, his gaze traveling over Rin.

“I didn’t mean for him to be taken away, I want Yukio back. Bring my brother back,” Rin hissed as his other two attempts to sway the king fell flat, tears began to prickle in his eyes at the thought of Yukio’s state of being. “Please just bring him back. I need him,”

The near whine of his voice sounded so pathetic to the elder king, the boy was truly so dependent on that mess of human he called his brother?

“Fine, if you want him so badly I suppose you can have. He is waiting in my castle,” Abduxuel gestured to the window behind which showed a far different scene than Rin was familiar with.

The land wasn’t Assiah, nor was it Gehenna. The odd world had a rather rustic appearing castle seated on a nearby hill mountain-looking section of land, and leading up to the castle was an odd series of twisted paths, and walls to surround them.

“Do you still wish to find him?” Abduxuel cooed standing rather close to Rin as he whispered into the shells of Nephlim’s ear. As the space king spoke the world around the two of them shifted. Rin was no longer in the comfort of his dorm, or more of his world, but a strange force of honor or possibly sheer stupidity fueled him onward. 

“You know Rin, there is no shame in backing down,” Abduxuel hummed.

“I can’t, don’t you understand? I can’t leave him, not when he has done so much for me… Not when he needs me,”

“So be it then, you have thirteen hours to solve my Labyrinth before your darling brother becomes one of my kin forever,” Abduxuel hummed, vanishing right before Rin’s very eyes.

“Surely it can’t be that hard. After all, if he's anything like Mephisto there has to be a way for me to win this, right?” 

And so Rin began his journey, walking along the soft, oddly sandy ground as he made his way towards the maze. Thirteen hours so much could happen in thirteen hours… After all, this maze only looked to be about an hour’s walk from the castle. 

This would be easy, Abduxuel was probably just exaggerating, when he gave Rin 13 hours to solve the maze. Well, he would show that king why it was a dangerous idea to underestimate him!

Approaching the brick walls he couldn’t help but notice a familiar face.

“Amaimon!” Rin said happily, approaching the king.

“So you are the play toy he chose this time,” Amaimon huffed. “Samael won’t be happy about this,”

“What do you mean this time?” Rin inquired, looking rather concerned at the thought over how many brothers Abduxuel had captured over the years.

“Abduxuel has an awful habit of playing games like this, he particularly loves labyrinths as well so he combines the two. So which one of your stupid human friends did he take?” Amaimon asked, tone showing no expressed emotion in the topic. 

“He took Yukio,” Rin said softly, trying to repress the memory of the last words he spoke to his brother. 

“I see… Abduxuel would have my tail if he saw me assisting you through the maze,” Amaimon growled cursing the elder demon. 

“Well do you at least know where the door to his thing is?”

“There are no doors to the labyrinths,” Amaimon replied walking over to the wall. 

“Then how am I supposed to get in?” Rin snarled in response.

“Ask the right questions and you will get the right answers,” Amaimon replied as a thing looking almost fairy-like landed on his hand. 

Amaimon crushed the small creature in the palm of his hand, getting a shriek from Rin.

“Why did you just kill that innocent fairy?” Rin scoffed in befuddlement at the actions of the earth king.

“They aren’t nice like the Assiah tales claim, they are pests,” Amaimon huffed, throwing the small body down to the ground and crushing it under his foot for good measure.

“Surely they can’t be that bad,” Rin spat as one soon did fly into the palm of his hand. The creature cooed softly as it lay down on Rin’s hand.

“See,” Rin replied happily before the creature bit down on his unprotected palm.

Rin shook his hand violently sending the small creature flying as it detached from his palm. Amaimon tracked the beast and soon too did he dispose of it.

“Trust me Rin, do not trust the creatures you find in the maze, they are not here to help you,” Amaimon growled as he took Rin’s hands in his own inspecting the bite mark.

Amaimon drew his tongue along the bite mark, causing Rin to squeak in pain as he flinched back, trying to remove his hands from Amiamon’s grasp. Only for the grasp to tighten, cutting blood flow from the hand, and creating bruises beneath the delicate flesh.

“Don’t do that it hurts,” Rin hissed.

“I am removing the venom Rin. The venom isn’t going to kill you but it will infect the wound and spread boils around your skin. If you want to prevent having to deal with those then let me do this,” Amaimon growled. 

“You could be nicer about it,” Rin huffed as Amaimon dragged his tongue along the injury once more. The action got a wince from Rin as the bristles of the earth king’s tongue dug into his open wound.

“There,” Amaimon hummed in satisfactory, “now don’t touch anything with that hands until it’s healed,”

“Ok,” Rin said, ripping his hands from Amaimon’s grasp.

“So where is the entrance to this maze?” Rin asked.

“Right here,” Amaimon pushed open a set of doors that merged perfectly with the walls, almost looking to be part of them. 

“Was that there before?” Rin stood, gazing at the wall in bafflement.

“It’s best not to question things in the labyrinth,” Amaimon hummed, walking away and fading from sight.

Rin stepped through the gate, admiring each path that laid before him. Labyrinths were made of puzzles, right? So which path to take must be the must be the first puzzle… Abduxuel was half of Mephisto, the two were twin concepts, so he had to pick the elder path to get to Abduxuel!

Quickly a problem arose as the paths seemed to be perfectly identical, each one made of the same brick look substance and covered in thorny vines.

They are two separate things entirely but connected, so did it matter which path he chose? So right or left? Right may be right, but this a demon king so wouldn’t the wrong way be the right way? Left it was then.

But a steady walk wasn't enough for him. The sooner he got to Yukio the better, and the sooner he could be in bed. So Rin transitioned to a soft jog, taking in every detail of the maze trying to find a place to slip between the cracks.

Just one opening and he could get to work on solving this maze thing.. What had Amaimon called it? A lullaby… no that wasn’t it. 

Did it even matter? 

Probably not.

Brick after brick, vine after vine, there was no end to the maze, no opening to way, no way into the center. There had to be an opening somewhere right? Had he taken the wrong path or was it just an entire loop?

Rin growled in frustration as he came to a stop. Surely there was a way to make it out of this thing.

“Ello,” A small voice called out to the Nephilim.

Rin’s head snapped to the small creature and admired it. “Did you just say hello?”

“No, I said ello, but close enough,” The bug thing replied.

“But you are a worm,” Rin’s head tilted to the side as he admired the small thing. It was rather large for a worm, and it had odd-looking eyes. Rin was also able to see a small scarf draped around the thing’s neck, how that stayed still Rin had no idea. 

“Actually I am a caterpillar. Very different from a worm,” The bug corrected, seemingly getting annoyed with the boy, though it was hard to tell. 

“How can you talk?”

“I am a caterpillar,”

“Of course, well do you know a way through this maze?” Rin sighed, in desperation. 

Was he going to do this, talking to a worm? So, he had no idea where to go from here, so why not? Maybe this was his descent into madness…

“There are many, but the closes one is right across from you,”

Yup, he was going insane.

“No there isn't, it's just a wall!” Rin huffed in response.

“Go on then prove me wrong,” The caterpillar replied.

“You just want me to embarrass myself,”

“Do you want to solve this labyrinth or not?”

“Fine, but if I run into the wall I am going to crush you,” Rin took the caterpillar's advice and walked through the wall, leading to another corridor. Two halls, but this time they had openings!

Rin turned to give his thanks but found the bug had gone… odd.

Well to time to question things he had to find his brother!

~~~~~~~~

Demon’s chatter filled the air as Yukio sat in a hanging cage. The room which he was lingering above was full of clatter, and junk. Then again it did have a rustic look to it. The torn mustard fabric hanging weakly over the windows could be called curtains, and the windows were more or less brick holes in the wall. But still, it looked as if it had been unwashed for years on end. Even Rin could keep a cleaner room than this squalor. 

Abduxuel sat tapping his claws against his chest as he gazed up at this clock. Who would have guessed waiting would be so boring? Normally this was fun, Samael would join his little game and the two would think of fun little roadblocks for the humans trying to save their loved ones. 

But his dearest twin aspect had scolded him when he shared the news of his latest game involving the Okumura twins. When Samael became such a bore Abduxuel would never know, he just wanted to have fun with his other half. What was the crime in that?

Oh well, he might as well have fun with his new toy for a bit, well before it stops being a being human that is. He would have plenty of time to play with the demon he was going to create.

“So Yukio what do you think you are going to turn into?” Abduxuel twisted his head around to gaze at the cage where Yukio was imprisoned.

“I’m not going to be turned into a demon, Rin is going to come before your stupid little game is over with,”

“Well if you knew you were going to be this boring I would have captured one of Rin’s other loved ones. Possibly the one with pink hair, or the blonde girl… then again that fiery redhead does have a rather appealing body,” Abduxuel purred, as he conjured up the woman who Mephisto found lustful as well.

“Even then you wouldn’t win. Rin is far too stubborn to lose to someone like you,”

“Oh, and who is someone like me?”

“A coward,”

“And here I thought you were going to reply with something interesting,” Abduxuel shifted in his “throne” to be more comfortable when engaging in such a frivolous conversation. “I don’t see why humans like you so much. Your brother is better,”

“Says the demon,” Yukio shifted as well, turning his back to the demon king. It was a stupid thing to do to any demon, let alone a demon king as unhinged as Abduxuel. 

“Demon King,” Abduxuel corrected. “And so what if I am a demon, it doesn't discredit my opinion,”

“It does make you biased though,” Yukio stretched softly as he felt confident in his argument.

“Does it? You don’t know exactly why I like Rin more than you. It may have nothing to do with him being half-demon. After all, you are half Satan just like him,”

“Right but I don’t have Satan’s flames or a demon heart. Rin has both so he is more demonic,”

“I suppose that is true, but even then that is not the determining factor. Rin is the exact opposite of you. He is hard to manipulate,” Abduxuel hummed in delight thinking of the Nephilim who was trapped in his labyrinth.

“You clearly don’t know him at all. He will trust anyone who may be nice to him,” Yukio scoffed, remembering the false trust Rin had placed in the pink-haired spy.

“Oh, but you didn’t let me finish. He does trust easily, yes, but manipulating him is hard. He is honest about his actions and his feelings. He is easy to read, but he is open to other ideas. It’s hard to mold him fully and keep him molded. Where someone like you is more hard-headed about their options, they won’t change no matter how hard others try. You will be molded and stay molded,” Abduxuel stated simply as if it was a known fact.

Yukio wished to unhear the words. Surely the demon king was just trying to get to him and unnerve him. His words couldn’t be true, since when was a demon king truthful?

“ABDUXUEL” The door flung open, slamming against the castle walls and threatening the structure of the building.

The various space kin scattered around the room froze in shock, their eyes all filled with fear as they stopped their rambunctious chatter.

“Ah love you are back,” Abduxuel rose from his throne and gracefully sauntered over to the fuming Samael. “So, have you changed your mind about my little game?”

“Don’t play that fucking role with me Abduxuel. I am not changing my mind, and I can promise you the longer you continue things the worse it will get for you,” Samael growled, baring his fangs at Abduxuel.

“Now love you don’t want to scare Yukio,” Abduxuel cooed, walking over to Samael his shoes clicked in perfect rhythm against the floor.

Samael’s ear twitched as the rhythmic tap echoed around the shall of his ear. “Let the twins go,”

“No,” Abduxuel stated simply. “Samael we should dance,”

“This is not a discussion, let them go now,” Samael no longer held any sanity in his eyes and he snarled at Abduxuel.

“Dance with me love,” Abduxuel finally arrived in front of Samael, and he had the bravery to wrap his hands around Samael. 

“Let. them. Go. now.” The demand was simple, yet it seemingly went unheard.

“Dance. with. Me.” Abuxuel mocked the same cold emotionless tone of his other half all while wearing a smile.

Samael replied with a snarl, opening his mouth slightly as to prepare to strike.

“So that's a no then? If you aren’t going to answer me I will have to restrain you so you don’t do something you regret,”

Before the fangs could be sunk into his shoulder Samael was flung across the room into the throne. 

“I don’t understand why you are being so resistant. I just want to dance,” Abduxuel appeared in front of the throne, planting his hands on each armrest and leaning into his twin aspect’s face. The two demonic eyes glowed with different passions in mind.

Mephisto irritated beyond belief, at this point was out for blood, Abduxuel however just merely wanted to play, at the expense of others of course. This was all a silly little game to him, he did not comprehend the weight of his actions nor did he care to.

Yukio couldn’t help but watch the two kings, supposedly engaged in a battle. Maybe it was a challenge of some sort. It was a test he did not understand but, it was mesmerizing.

The rest of the demonic kin scattered around the room had their eyes fixed on the pair as well. Getting to view such a dangerous exchange was rare and little kin survived the viewing experience making tales of such things become legends. 

Abduxuel soon felt the admiring gazes of his kin and broke the connection with a smirk and twisted remark. “Now love, look what you did everyone is staring,”

Mephisto only replied with an animalistic growl as he bared his fangs.

“Still not in a talking mood I see,” Abduxuel huffed stepping away from his throne and the demon bonded to it.

A loud crack and snarl interrupted the remnants of conversation as in the distance blue flames flew over the walls shattering all the blocks in the demon’s path.

“That little cheater!” Abduxuel snapped his attention diverting to the maze. “How dare he. I should send him back to the beginning for this,”

Mephisto cackling filled the room as he saw the blue flames. “There is little you can do to stop him now, he will make it to the castle in no time and your stupid little game will be over,”

“We will see about that,” Abduxuel snarled as his concept dove into the maze, controlling aspects of the world. 

He shifted the walls and barriers making it nearly impossible to get through the maze via destruction. The very floor moved against Rin as the wall replenished growing thicker every time more darkened stone was destroyed.

A shrill voice broke his focus, well two voices. The demons looked nearly identical, both had dark hair and tall lanky bodies, and acid green eyes eerily similar to the twin demon kings. The two demons were standing in medieval-looking doorways. The arches were made of carved bricks of stone, with some runes of some sort inscribed in the bricks.

The doors themselves looked to be recently renewed, the wood seemed to be polished and sanded. However, parts of his were aged beyond recognition and clashed with the fresh look of the wooden doors.

“You will never get to the castle at that rate,” One of the demons scoffed. 

“Nah don’t interrupt him, this is too fun,” The other chuckled.

“And who are the two of you?” Rin inquired, his flames shrinking down as he stepped away from the wall.

“We guard these two doors,” The first replied leaning against the door.

“One leads to the castle,” The other chimed in happily.

“And one leads to-” “CERTAIN DEATH”

“DON'T INTERRUPT ME!”

“YOU SAID I COULD SAY IT THIS TIME!”

“YOU STILL SHOULDN’T INTERRUPT ME!”

“Wait. one of these doors leads to the castle?” Rin stepped towards the demons, as he focused on the puzzle ahead.

“Indeed young prince,” The second replied happily.

“So which is which?” Rin inquired, inspecting the doors for any indicators that may differentiate them.

“Well, we will tell you, but I am going to have to warn you, one of us lies,”

“And one always tells the truth,”

Rin lit up with a smug joy as he walked over to the first demon. “Answer yes or no. Would he tell me that this door leads to the castle?”

“Er...um. Yes,”

“Then that door leads to the castle,” Rin stated, pointing to the other door proudly as if he had figured it all out.

“How so?”

“No matter what I can safely know that this door is the door to certain death,”

“But what if he is telling the truth?”

“Then you would be lying, and the truth would be this door is not the door to the castle,”

“But what if I am telling the truth?”

“Then he wouldn’t be, so I can still know that the other door is the door I need to go in,”

The two demons burst into laughter at the supposed logic Rin tried to convey. 

“Well, I made my choice, I am going to go through the second door!”

“It’s your loss,” The first demon sighed as the second jarring wooden door slid across the floor, opening for the demon prince. 

“This thing may just be getting easier,” Rin walked through the path, heart-thumping softly against his chest as he waited to see if he made the right choice. Maybe fate was in his favor!

The hallway floor was made of similar-looking brick to the walls, this time it was cleaner, or at least it was well kept. Light fixtures clung to the walls, each separated by a meter or so. Each fixture seems to be hanging by a thread as it clung to the wall in desperation to stay upright. the corridor smelt of jasmine and sugar, a pleasant aroma with which Rin was familiar. Both Mephisto and Amaimon reeked of it, so naturally, the scents had become unavoidable.

Both the scents had become soothing to him in his worst moments, as both Mephisto and Amaimon were there by his side for the worst of it… or at least, most of the worst of it. Rin followed the scent like a puppy tracking its treat. The halls curved and twisted as he followed the beautiful aroma.

Finally, he arrived at a dark pathway with no light fixtures, the closest source of light was dimmer than a winter new moon and didn’t seem it would stay lit for much longer. 

Before Rin could decide on a specific course of action, a loud crack snapped him out of his stable mindset.

The floor fell leaving him to be dragged down along with it. However, instead of toppling into a void darkened abyss; Rin felt hands supporting him, holding him and keeping him stable. The hands were helping him, it was a nice relief to get help like this.

“Well hello, there prince,” five pairs of hands molded together and made what appeared to be a face, two hands formed their eyes and two hands formed a moth and one hand served as a nose. 

Oddly enough all the hands were grey but had the same wrinkles and curves as any human hand would, with pathways etched into the fleshy nubs of their fingers.

“Hi,” Rin grumbled as he pondered a way to make his escape. 

“It seems like you are in quite the predicament,”

“Do you need a hand?”

“Some helping hands?”

“Sure, whatever just gets me out of this place,” Rin growled in a huff.

“Up or down?”

“I guess down,” Rin looked around, both up and down were dark and looked unwelcoming, so he might as well go and find a new way around.

“He chose down!!!!” The hands sang happily as they let go and let gravity handle the rest.

Rin was less than pleased as he fell further down. When he would land he had no idea but he hoped soon if he continued to fall at this speed the best he could wish for was a broken bone. It would heal, but still, a broken bone could set him back. Time was ticking and he needed to get to Yukio and fast if he wanted his brother back safely. 

May whatever merciful gods out there keep Abduxuel from getting bored and deciding to play with Yukio. Rin wished for the best case senior where the demons just left Yukio alone as they waited for him to arrive

Suddenly ground approached and quickly, however before Rin could land and snap a leg his descent was soothed as he froze a few centimeters above the ground. 

Outstretching his legs he was able to stand and land softly on the ground, however, a new problem arose as there appeared to be no way out. No doors, no more tunnels. Nothing.

~~~

“Ah such a turn of events, he got trapped in an oubliette,” Abduxuel sighed in false pity as he held a crystal ball that acted as a window into Rin’s locations and actions.

“You are making this game rather unfair,” Samael huffed as he reluctantly stayed in his twins’ lap. 

“Well that's what makes it so fun, he has no chance of winning and yet he is still trying to,” Abuxuel hummed.

The elder king shifted Samael in his lap so, he was more comfortable, after all, he wanted to stay like this for as long as he could manage, this was fun and he missed it. Samael doesn't cuddle as much as he used to, nor does he sleep as much. It was disappointing to come back to him and have him so distant physically. 

“Your definition of fun certainly hasn’t changed,” 

Abduxuel pulled Samael to his chest and held his mate softly. “Are you still fussing over this?”

“You are interfering with my game,”

“And? You have interfered with my games before and you don’t see me fussing over it,”

“This is different, if I lose this then Lucifer wins,”

“Don’t” Abduxuel hissed. “You know I don’t want you to say that name,”

“If I don’t get Rin and Yukio back then Father will go mad,”

“You will get them back soon enough this game just determines how,” Abuxuel once again shifted Mephisto on his lap so the king was parallel to his own body. “Have you gotten heavier?”

“What on earth are you implying?” The comment did not appear humorous to Samael as he sent a glare to his mate.

“You have been eating a significant amount of carbs recently,”

“You are unbelievable,” Samael with a snarl removed himself from Abduxuel and began his journey to the door, leaving his twin perplexed.

“What are you doing!”

“I don’t need to endure your abuse, I have better things to do,”

“Love get back here now,”

“No,”

Abuxuel stood from his throne and glared daggered at his dearly beloved. “Samael, I am not telling you again,”

“Neither am I,”

“Can you girls quiet down? I am trying to sleep,” Yukio shifted in the suspended cage, looking tiredly over to the demons.

“Have fun playing your stupid game,” Samael hissed leaving through the doors in which he had come.

All attention directed to Yukio, as silence crept across the room. The small kin huddled under thrown around tables and miscellaneous ledges, while larger kin hid behind barriers or dents and hidden passageways in the walls. The incorrigible human had crossed Abduxuel for the last time. His posture was crooked, bent like a sick savage animal that was near breaking point.

“You must be bored. I am sure Rin won’t mind if I play with you early,” Abduxuel’s hips swayed softly as he unraveled his tail. 

The bug-like appendage hovered over the muck infused floor as he sauntered over to the caged human. Yukio’s focus was drawn by the mythical tail, most all of the king had realistic tails, but Abduxuels was drawn from one of pure legend.

The spines along the tail held a paralyzing venom that could put a raging bear into a month's sleep. While the stringer of the tail was host to a hallucinogen venom, it would be a far more merciful death to die by the paralysis venom.

“Why so meek? Are you scared?” Abduxuel purred in sadistic glee as he narrowed in on his prey.

Following the line of sight, Abduxuel tracked the interest to his tail. “Most humans find my tail perplexing, but just for you I might as well give you an in-depth look,”

Yukio did not like the sound of an “in-depth look”. He did not want that tail anywhere near him or his circulatory system. Foolishly he looked into Abdbuxuels eyes and found himself unable to speak against the king.

Something within him prickled beneath the surface of his skin. A natural instinct of disdain bubbled within him, a part of him deep inside his chest wanted to attack the king. Abduxuel was infringing on his territory and Yukio would not continue to mind this peacefully.

If it came to it he would have to use force, but then again that was a small part of it. A part that would never gain full control on its own.

Abduxuel stopped in front of the cage and watched with a satisfied grin as it sank closer to him. Yukio pressed himself against the furthest edge of the cage to avoid being grabbed. The door flung open as Abuxuel cooed in delight as he admired his prey.

His claws extended and sharpened and Abuxuel reached through the opening.

Right before the claws reached him the entire being disappeared and the cage door was shut once again.

\-----

“Where am I?” Rin muttered, gazing around the room for an exit, any doors. But there was nothing, only a raged lamp that hung from the rocky ceiling. A few chains also swung down from the rock room.

“I had a feeling you would wind up here,” Amaimon appeared seemingly from out of nowhere.

“Amaimon! It’s good to see a familiar face,” Rin beamed, before stopping. “That is if you are Amaimon,”

“I am Amaimon no one else,” Amaimon growled at the insinuation of a false identity.

“Sure thing Kamaimon,” Rin taunted, sticking his tongue out.

Amaimon grabbed Rin’s throat and threw him against the wall, mated or not he would not tolerate that.

“That... was mean Amaimon,” Rin choked on his words as he pushed himself against the wall and took a stand on his now shaky legs.

“Well, are we going to save that stuffy brat brother of yours?” Amaimon brandished his claws and began to dig into the stone before Rin could even get a chance to reply.

“Yukio isn’t a stuff brat!” Rin walked over to Amaimon and stood by his side. “watcha doin?”

“This may be Abduxuels’ world but I am still the king of the earth. I can still influence solid matter here and no amount of magic will stop that,” Amaimon explained as his claws cut cleanly through the stone and created a pathway for the two. 

A silly little smile appeared on Rin’s lips as he heard this. The dorky expression was normal for Rin, but still confusing for the king.

“Why are you making that face?”

“You are amazing,” 

“Gross,”

“Love is not gross,” Rin squeaked in defiance.

Amaimon abruptly covered Rin’s mouth with his gloved palm. Rin did not appreciate the silencing, but the musky scent of pine and rain was fresh on Amaimon’s fingerless glove, he couldn't complain. Amaimon sniffled into the air, something had caught his attention, and by the scrunched expression on his face; Rin could tell Amaimon despised it.

“Don’t go running off without me Rin. It’s better if we do the rest of this together,”

Rin nodded as he pushed the glove away from his mouth, as much as he loved the scent he wanted to breathe. Amaimon took a hold of Rin’s loose hands and began to lead him through the tunnels.

“Wait, you know the way to the palace?”

“Not entirely, I have Kin scouting the arena for pathways, it won’t take long before someone finds a way to the castle” Amaimon replied as he directed a turn, the two stood at the beginning of a tunnel with a single other pathway leading through it. The rest of the hall was entirely made of brick with no reasonable exits.

“Hey what's that?” Rin’s curiosity had illuminated a crystal ball that floated a foot or so above the sandy tile that lined the floor of the maze. 

“It’s nothing. We should keep walking,”

However, Rin went deaf to the response and followed the ball to an old bird looking creature.

Amaimon reluctantly followed after, sharing his doubts and mistrust of the situation at hand.  
The bird thing tilted it’s head softly to the side as if asking what the object was. Rin mirrored the action as a small kitten would.

“What's this?”

“Nothing of importance,” Amaimon snapped, grabbing Rin’s wrist as he failed to humor the seeming elderly being. 

“Nothing?!” A familiar voice snapped, shifting forms swiftly to the shock and dismay of the pair. “Nothing tra la la~”

“Abduxuel, what a nice surprise,” Amaimon murmured in shock. So, that's where the scent had come from…

“Save the pleasantries Amaimon,” Abduxuel stepped closer to the pair. “Do you really think I wouldn’t notice you in my Labyrinth? If you are planning to interfere with my game, I will punish you.” 

“So what if he is helping me. You keep cheating,” Rin stepped between the two, a warm blue hue surrounded him as he matched Abduxuel’s gaze. 

“I never stated the Labyrinth would be fair Rin. Nor did I state that I wouldn’t interfere,” Abduxuel mirrored the action and stepped closer to Rin.

“And I didn’t say I would play by the rules either. If there are any rules to this maze thingy,” Rin held his ground and perked up his lips to reveal his fangs in a mock challenge. 

“Labyrinth,” 

“Same difference,”

“No, Mazes have different paths to the end, Labyrinths only have one path and it leads to the middle,”

“Well they are both stupid, so it doesn’t matter,”

“Your opinion,” Abduxuels murmured bitterly, as he averted his gaze.

Amaimon pawed his hands back with Rin and held them tightly. He did not like how this exchange was going and did not want to stick around to see this continue.

“Well, can you leave me be so I can finish this lousy thing and get my brother,” 

“Lousy? Rin do you find my labyrinth easy?”

“I have done harder things,”

Amaimon bit back a groan as he knew what response Abduxuel would have. Nothing good came when pride was challenged, Abduxuel so far was playing nice compared to his normal cruelty. Rin had just initiated a challenge, a dare to be worse and bitter. Amaimon loved Rin dearly but sometimes he wished the boy held his tongue.

“Then allow me to raise the stakes,”

Now he had done, Amaimon desperately wanted to rip Rin’s tongue out for domming the two of them like this. 

The crystal ball from before appeared in Abduxuels palm, he tossed the crystal down the hall and disappeared with a snide remark and a smile. “Have fun~”

The crystal shifted into a large metal plate, filled with spikes and previous victims shattered on the metal spears. Amaimon grabbed Rin’s collar and jerked him into a sprint in an attempt to flee from the machine, all pathways were now sealed preventing any escape. 

The hallway dragged on and on as the pair waited for the mahone to fall far enough behind or malfunction, but the death trap only continued. At this rate, the two would run out of energy before they even had a chance to reach the palace. 

Fear struck as the two arrived upon a gate blocking their path. The bars would not bend or mold at their will… They were stuck.

“Rin!” Amaimon chirped, altering him to a crack buried in the wall. 

On cue, Rin ignited his cerulean flames and burst through the wall in blazing fury. The brinks cracked and clashed making an echoing click flow through the halls. Amaimon bound after Rin and laid protected as the metallic death weapon piloted by three mischievous balls of irritation.

Rin caught sight of a ladder and began his ascent into the labyrinth. Amaimon mirrored his actions, climbing and preparing himself for whatever lies on the top waiting for them. Rin undid the hatch as he steadied himself, clinging onto the rungs only by one hand.

The hatch creaked and moaned as Rin pushed it up and let it abruptly clash against the floor. The sky was a soft purple now, with clouds painting the sky in a beautiful array of soft pastels. It was oddly beautiful, for such a horrid place. This world was hell but yet it still had beauty…

Amaimon pushed past Rin and bathed in the fresh air, as he laid happily on the ground. 

“Amaimon what are you doing?” Rin snorted as he bit back a laugh. 

“hmmm warm,” Amaimon purred and he spread himself out letting the sun envelop him. 

Rin’s shoulder shook as he continued to restrain his humor. It took a few minutes to collect himself and continue on. Amaimon groggily followed after Rin, he wished to sunbathe for a bit longer but the task at hand was supposedly more important than his comfort. That human brother of his better be worth all this. 

Amaimon and Rin walked side by side, with Amaimon being the one to direct the journey and Rin being the one to break down challenges. A foolish man had gotten in their way for a sliver of the journey before Rin kindly removed him.

“Hey, Amaimon how much longer until we reach the castle?”

“I would guess an hour or two depending on how many more creatures get in our way,”

“Oh, that’s not too bad,”

Rin continued to walk, with a newfound hope flowing through him. He failed to notice the disappearance of his partner as he continued his journey until he stumbled across a fork in the road and got lost.

Before he could question it, he was drawn to the familiar cries of a demon. This was no ordinary demon, he knew it…

Peeking his head around the corner Rin caught sight of a green blob hanging upside from a tree tied by its arms. A scuffle of low classed kin tormented the demon as it cried out for help and tried to escape its bindings. For such a strong creature, one would assume Behemoth was more capable of defending himself. 

Rin approached the group with a snarl buried in his throat. “Let. Him. Go,” 

The group of demons cried out in shock and terrier as they fled, disobeying the words of Rin’s entirely. But what else could he expect from a band of low-class kin? They had just as much respect as they had power.

Behemoth continued to cry out even after his tormentors had fled. 

“Hey, it's alright. They are gone,” Rin sang to the demon, soothing him out of his crying fit as Rin studied the rope for a way to break it.

The rope was heavily knotted against the tree trunk and would not be easily undone. If Behemoth was to get down, Rin knew he would have to cut it. “Sorry in advance,” Rin muttered a quick apology as he approached the rope.

As soon as he placed his hand on the rope burning blue flames overtook it and snapped the knots.

The Hobgoblin fell face-first into the floor and managed to let out a weak cry. 

“Sorry,” Rin whined, hopping over to the demon. “Are you alright?”

Behemoth growled as he tried to balance himself back upon his arms. Along the grassy patterns bleeding and bruising rope burns adorned the arms, the familiar must have been hanging there in agony for hours.

“Hey Behemoth, this may be asking too much of you, but could you show me the way to Amaimon?”

Behemoth grumbled as he began walking. Rin took that as a good thing and followed Behemoth. 

The hobgoblin led him further and further into the maze. As they got closer to the castle Rin couldn't help but notice how drastically the surroundings had changed; the bright and cheery sky shifted to a menacing clash of red and blue with cracks of green and yellow seeking the entire display.

Rin moved closer to get some reassuring support from the hobgoblin only to find, he too had disappeared. 

“Alright now he is doing shit, just for the hell of it,” Rin continued on his journey, now along and bitterly lost in what appeared to be in one of the darkest and most unwelcoming parts of the labyrinth thus far.

By this stage he was thoroughly upset with Abduxuel, he could tolerate doing dumb puzzles or dealing with brat-ish demons, but he could not allow that bastard to keep stealing those he and his loved ones held dear. The demon king was already on thin ice when he dared to try and steal Yukio, but now there was hell to pay and blood on the line.

An eerily taunting group of chatter started up in the distance and Rin followed the mesmerizing chants. 

A band of Hobgoblins was bounding around a flame while singing… If you could call the sharp shrills and shrikes of their voices singing. Rin desperately wished at the moment he did not understand the words the demons were saying, at least then he could be given peace of mind. Sadly this world hated him and his sanity.

“Gut the squirrel and the drink blood lalalala,”

“Chew it all up nom nom nom nom nom,”

The melody of the song was foreign but even Rin could tell they were getting it wrong, and that their pitch was on another level of off. He stepped closer just to get a bit better of a look and some form of understanding. 

The group soon caught sight of Rin and pushed him into the clearing as they happily continued their chant. The blood-filled words were sung with such joy and pleasure Rin felt sick to his stomach just listing. 

Amaimon wasn’t faring much better. He was consumed by a dark void as he struggled to remember what his own name was. The darkness was pressing, consuming, and overwhelming. Time and space had no meaning of existence but yet was everything and was everywhere.

There was no formatted ground for his concept of mind to latch onto, he was trapped in nowhere but everywhere, an unmade universe that was out of the clutches of logic and reason.

“Amaimon~” Abduxuel cooed, nuzzling up to the demon. “You haven't been listening to me. Normally I wouldn’t hesitate to break every part of you and then leave you here until all you could manage to remember is the lasting scent of me. But Samael is already temperate with me and at the moment I am not over vengeful. So I will give you another chance,”

Amaimon leaned towards the sound of Abduxuel’s voice, it was familiar and comforting; it was the only thing he had left to cling to.

“Oh dear, it seems I forgot what effect my dimension has on you. You can’t even remember your name without me, can you? Well, then I will make this brief, give Rin this small gift of mine and all your interference will be forgiven,” Abduxuel moved closer to Amaimon and let his concept flow over the weaker king. 

The familiar bonds of Mephisto were the first thing Amaimon was able to cling to; he used it as a bridge to finally connect through Rin and gain what fragments of sanity he could manage.

“Do you really believe I would betray Rin like that?” Amaimon wanted to turn from the king, but if he wanted to maintain his mind or this conversation he knew he would have to deal with the closeness. 

“Who says it’s a betrayal if he asks you for it?” Abduxuel cooed, keeping his pitched and innocent.

“Why would I give something to him knowing it would hurt him,” Amaimon snapped in response to the gentle coo.

“Whoever said it would hurt him? Besides if you don’t agree to this I may just have to influence your actions,” Abduxuel’s tail wrapped around Amaimon’s neck, the stinger was out and dragged along the top layer of Amaimon’s delicate skin. If the needle just as much pricked one of his crimson veins then he would be in for a nightmare through a place lower than hell.

Amaimon’s mind snapped into action as he felt the tail, it might as well be best if he gives it to Rin. Then at least he could manage how much Rin ate, and he could surely find a way to undo it. 

“Fine, just give whatever it is to me and I will do it,”

“Now that's a good boy, see it wasn’t so hard was it,”

Amaimon stayed silent and let his settings fade back to the labyrinth. He didn’t utter a word as Abduxuel gave him the sickly pink apple.

“GET AWAY FROM ME,” Rin yelped as he bolted from the cult-like group of hobgoblins. His calls of anger and stress echoed through the cliffs and Amaimon soon tracked him and caught up. 

Rin’s clothes are tattered and ripped, it was obvious they had bitten and scratched him. His hair was a tangled mess and a mix of blood and dirt was spread around the visible skin he had. Amaimon stood at the edge of the cliff, looking down at the scene. 

Rin noticed the familiar figure and stopped mid-step. “Amaimon?”

“Yes, now come up here if you don’t want to be sacrificed,” 

“Sounds good to me,” Rin leaped into the air and latched onto the cliffside, using jagged rocks as his only support and he continued to propel himself upwards. The rocks cut through his palm and poked and prodded at his already bruised palm. But he continued on regardless. 

Amaimon was there to drag Rin up to the very top when he was in arms reach. Part of him felt guilty, he was saving Rin only to cause pain later on.

“I missed you,” Rin cuddled into Amaimon and let his body weight shift, becoming entirely dependent on his mate for support.

“I missed you too,” Amaimon gladly held Rin, he placed his own head on Rin's shoulder and bathed in the warmth that originated from Rin. 

The only thing that may boat the soft embrace would be if Rin were to ignite his flames, but the poor boy was drained of so much energy already. The two could stay like this forever, a certain jealous demon king could not bear to see the two in such bliss, not when his own twin had abandoned him. 

The floor disappeared from below the lovely couple, sending Rin and Amaimon into a short-lived freefall. The two were dragged along by gravity, and no amount of claws on the metal shoot could slow or stop their descent. 

The tunnel died off and the two were nearly flung into the pool below, but thankfully Amaimon’s claws caught hold of the ledge, as Rin clung to him. Amaimon crawled his way back onto the ledge and Rin climbed up with him. The two caught their beneath and Rin took the time to look around the setting.

A lake of marbled green smug laid out, with gastric bubbles popping and making crude noises as they did so. Ratty tangled vine hung from wilting and rotting trees a burning stench hit Rin’s sinuses as he desperately wished to exhale and ignore the scent. The pound was set a good hundred feet below them, only adding to the overwhelming power of the stench. If it smelled that horrid from here, how bad did it smell at the surface level?

“What is that?” Rin coughed and gagged as he regrettably inhaled the scent.

“I was wondering when it was going to resonate with your senses,” Amaimon gazed down at the marbled pool with disdain framing his face. “This is the bog of eternal stench. If someone were to fall in they would smell like this place, forever. Or until Abduxuel removes it,”

“Ew, why does that exist?” Rin chimed childishly.

“Abduxuel is gross,” Amaimon replied standing up slowly, only for the stone beneath him to crumble away. 

In the nick of time, Rin caught him, but the threat of falling was enough to put him back into good behavior. 

“We should probably get going,” Rin announced as he took a stand, and clung to the wall for a safety rail.

The stone had mildew and mold, but it was better than falling into a pool of stench. Rin sucked up his dignity as he dragged his claws along the wall. The mold folded under his claws and were buried beneath the nails but for the time being, he would just have to live with the pressing feeling of the moss against his nail bed. 

Most of Rins’ attention was focused on the stone below his feet, he checked twice for crack before stepping and made sure to avoid any moss he could. From the rainy days of the past he easily remembered how slippery moss and stone could get, normally it was fine, but a fall from this height would at best result in a concussion, not to mention the stench. 

“Rin are you feeling alright?” Amaimon asked with concern embedded in his voice. 

“Oh, yeah. I am fine. I just don’t wanna fall,”

“Are you by any chance hungry?”

“Maybe, but at the moment my appetite isn’t all here,”

“Ah... Ok,” 

“But thank you for asking,” Rin looked back at Amaimon and gave him a small cute little smile.

It would have normally spiked a warmth in his chest, but Amaimon couldn't feel anything other than overwhelming guilt for what he was about to do. The appel will hurt Rin, he could tell. No harmless appel would be glowing pink, and nothing that came from Abduxuel in this world was good either.

The stone began to lower a brick or so every few steps, making a slow but safe descent onto the ground below the moss only got worse as the two got closer and closer to the safety of the ground. 

Five steps away a certain hobgoblin came bounding out from the tree and flopped down onto the ground, all in an attempt to rush over to his king. The clumsy demon was met with shock, and joy from the king. 

“So this where you have been hiding,”

Rin decided it would be best to hold his tongue from the condition in which he had found Behemoth until after they had defeated Abduxuel. A raging demon king is the last thing needed on his quest to rescue Yukio from another demon king.

The reunited group walked around the small clearing, looking for any way out of the bog, only to stumble across a convenient rope bridge, this was cricket and old looking ancient and as if it were to snap at any second.

A familiar white west highland terrier with a pink and white polka-dotted scarf sat just before the bridge.

“Mephisto?” Rin inquired, he was, by all means, excited to see him but the labyrinth had made him question everything so he had his doubts about the dog.

“There is no Mephisto here, I am Sir Faust guardian of this bridge,”

Yup, this was Mephisto.

“Oh for the love of Father he is playing another character,” Amaimon groaned in utter despair as he saw Mephisto.

“What are you wearing?” Rin’s stifled laughter cracked through his question as he noticed the horrific patterned outfit Samael was wearing, the small little booties that accompanied the outfit didn’t make it any better.

“Alright Sir Faust, how can we cross your bridge,” Amaimon grumbled as he went along with the ploy.

“You will have to duel me for the right to cross this bridge,” “Sir Faust” replied.

“Alright this cute, but we don’t have time for this Mephisto,” Rin sighed, his laughter dying off in an instant. A calm but stern tone overtook his voice while an air of authority wrapped around him, this very unlike Rin.

By a bright cyan glint, Amaimon could tell this was not Rin speaking more of a human consciousness infused with the demonic authority he was born with.

“As I have already stated thi- what are you doing?!” Rin picked the dog up and walked to the edge of the land, dangling the dog over to the stretch infused waters. 

“Cut it out or I am dropping you in,”

Taking the opportunity Behemoth bound over the bridge and landed safely and happily on the other side.

“Fine, fine,” Mephisto snarled, “You don’t have to duel me,”

“Rin, I am no expert in bridges but I can tell you that this won’t be able to hold you or me up. We may have to find another way to get across,” Amaimon kicked softly at the stone pillars that the rope bridge was tied to for support.

“How can we get across?” Rin snarled, his claws piercing the fur of the dog. 

“A collection of rocks lays at the bottom of the creek, with his magic Amaimon should be able to lift them up enough to arrange them into stable stepping stones,” Mephisto barked as Rin set him down.

“Amaimon?”

“Already on it,”

Just as Mephisto said, rocks rose from the bottom of the creek, forming a steady ground for them to cross.

Rin was the first to use the rock bridge, with Amaimon coming in second and Mephisto climbing on top of Kuro’s back. The cat sidhe was a bit larger than small form, large enough to have a dog safely ride, but not in his normal giant size.

Kuro crossed safely even with the extra weight on his back.

“Kuro?” Rin was stunned to his familiar here of all places.

Kuro’s tails wagged happily but he stayed silent. 

“What did you do to him?” Rin snarled as he directed attention to Mephisto. 

“Transport animals don’t talk nor do they need to-,”

Before the distinguished animal could finish his sentence Rin kicked the purebred into the bog and picked up familiar, and started out on his path. The castle looked somewhat close from where they were currently so he was sure he figured it on his own.

Amaimon was stuck between assisting the paddling dog and counting on Rin, he didn’t have long to decide as Mephisto made it to shore, but with a stained and rotten coat. The putrid scent overwhelmed the natural hints of jasmine and lavender the king normally had.

“RIN,” Samael growled as he ran after the Nephilim only to inspire Rin into a small marathon of his own as he fled from the rabid dog.

Now it was Amaimon who was lagging behind, with fear increasing as he could feel the space king’s concept lingering nearby… he had to do it now. If he got any closer then he would be punished…

“Hey Rin, are you up for a snack break?” Amaimon asked, appearing in front of Rin who was hiding in a tree as the savage dog barked from below. He offered out the pink apple and Rin stared in wonder.

“What is it?”

“An apple. I found it while I was… separated from you,”

“Oh, thanks,” Rin purred, taking the apple and biting into it joyfully.

“I’m sorry Rin,”

The venom took hold instantly, Rin was dragged into a heavy dream-like daze. The bright pink apple fell from his hand and collided with the ground, the meat of the fruit shattering as it landed behind the canine. 

Bits of fruity shrapnel hit the dog, fetching his attention.

“Amaimon what have you done?” Samael snarled from below, as the sensitive juices hit his senses. He would recognize the venom from Abduxuel no matter how well it was hidden. 

“He was going to make me do it regardless, it's better if I am aware so I can help him,” Amaimon muttered moving closer to Rin.

“I see… well come along we should continue our path to the castle,”

“You mean to say we are just going to leave him?”

“This is just another test, if he passes then he will arrive at the castle gates, and if we hurry we can make it just in time to meet up with him,” Mephisto explained as he began to tread down the quickest path to the castle. 

With one lingering glance Amaimon took Kuro and followed after Mephisto, thankfully he hadn’t gotten far since his little legs could move so quickly, regardless if he did fall behind it wouldn’t be hard to track the dog.

~~  
A dreamy daze washed over Rin as he slowly regained focus. He was somewhere new somewhere unknown. Strangers wore delicate and elaborate masks covered in glitter and lacy trim. Everyone was dressed in a variety of colors, ranging from cream to dark calming blues with the occasional saturated red. He was supposed to know them but he didn’t.

Snobbish laughs and shimmering wine glasses were exchanged as crimson wine was poured and passed throughout the voluminous crowd. He was looking for someone… but who? Everyone was known but a new face to him. How could he possibly find anyone within this clatter of people?

If the crowd was even of humans, Rin had sneaking suspicion demons laid within this crowd only adding to the chaos of each individual’s silhouette. Fancy fabric, and fancy wine, along with fancy chatter and conversation. Rin hated all of this fancy stuff, where was the familiar, calming, and welcoming stuff?

Sure it was casual and plain, but it was familiar; It was home, it was him, it was part of him. Yet it still is part of him, it will always be part of him. Something else was part of him or his home, was that what he was looking for?

Emerald eyes caught his attention in a shared passing moment. Then he disappeared back into the crowd. Abduxuel? Abduxuel was here, at this party. Was this even real? Was he even real? 

“Don’t fret so much darling, just enjoy the moment,” Abduxuel soothed leaning into Rin. “You deserve a break,”

No, this wasn’t right. It felt nice and welcoming, but this wasn’t right. This wasn’t who he was looking for. This wasn’t who he wanted right now. He needed to find someone more important than the crimson wine, fancy attire, a stupid ballroom, and at the moment someone more important than Abduxuel.

“Get away from me,” Rins’ flames blazed around him and covered all of his slender body.

At that moment the illusion shattered, as a frown fell upon Abduxuels’ lips. “I was trying to be nice, I don’t deserve this attitude,”

“Give him back,”

“Give whom back?”

Rin wanted to snarl at the question but nothing fell from his lips, who was he looking for? He was looking for Someone. How did he know, and miss?

Shiemi, Izumo, Bon, Shima, Koneko… Shiro?

It was Shiro, wasn’t it!

He was looking for Shiro!

Abduxuel could only sigh as Rin’s mind ran wild. Rin had too much of the apple, didn’t he? The poor boy did not even remember his own adopted father’s death. As pity went through Abduxuel Rin’s mind came to a stern halt. 

Two thoughts collided and connected as his memory began to seep back into his mind. Shiro was dead, he had been gone for months. Rin was supposed to be looking for someone else…

“Times ticking Rin, he is just trying to distract you,” A familiar voice whisked him into action, with a sudden bolt of exhilaration. 

Rin's flames continued to grow, leaping onto chairs and tables, making a further mess of the room as the wooden shattered against the walls bounding back and getting guests to scatter to avoid harm. The dream was now broken as foundations of sense fell upon it destroying it entirely.

“I’m done with this game of yours Abduxuel,” Rin sneered as he ran through the chaos and into the dark abyss that welcomed him.

As he woke his head spun, he was in a different location from where he had fallen asleep. To add insult to injury he had no idea of where he was, for all he knew he could be back at the beginning. He stood on quivering legs as he got up to inspect the area. His muscles ached with every step he took. 

“Well, what do we have here?” A voice echoed walking closer to Rin. By the silver hair and multitude of eyes Rin could tell this wasn’t a human. “You don’t smell human,”

“I’m not human,”

Rin stared at the snake with seemingly no emotion at all. The past few hours had been a whiplash of emotion and Rin didn’t have the energy to cope.

“You seem lost,”

“No kidding,” Rin was shocked to find a small laugh escaping his lips, in that very moment he wanted to break down. It would just be easier than trying to keep his emotions on track.

“I can help you, come back to my den,”

Rin went willingly, he did not have anything to hold him back, nor the confidence to question or energy to care. 

The humanoid led him back to a door surrounded by old worn objects. Oddly enough Rin recognized each and every one of them, broken toys, pencils, cold school desks, discolored pillows, uncomfortable twin mattresses all from his past. The door was familiar too. 

Rin turned the knob, and let the door swing open. He was stunned as his eyes fell upon a familiar bed. The old creaky dorm greeted him with overwhelming nostalgia. He was home, at last, he was safe! Maybe the past hours were just a dream or maybe he had eaten something sour. Rin stepped letting himself be drowned in all the familiarities.

A crystal blue sky, the soft chirp of birds, and a relaxing fall breeze hit him all at once. Too long he had been away from the familiar.

Did it matter? He was home! Safe and sound.

Or at least he was until he turned around, the chaotic world still existed, the demon was still standing by the door.

He looked confused, “Is something the matter? Do you not like it here?”

“No everything is wonderful. it’s just… I can’t stay here,”

“No,” The demon growled, “You are staying here with us, you are staying with Hachiro,”

“I need to find someone, I have to save them,” Rin squeaked back as he tried to leave. 

“Do you even know how you are leaving for?” Hachiro hissed in anger.

“My… someone important to me,”

“They mustn't be important if you can’t even remember their names,” 

Rin thought, digging up every place in his mind, this person was important, he knew he needed to find them and quickly. Shiro, he thought Shiro was lost before. Maybe they have a connection to him?

Yu…

“Just relax, you are where you need to be,”

“No,” Rin snapped, as he continued to dig through his memories.

One lit a spark, he was standing on a roof, the roof to his dorm. Melted candles surrounded him as he screamed in frustration. He kept getting this wrong, he couldn’t do it! The candles wouldn’t catch fire and when they did it just melted instantly. Soft steps broke his concentration as someone approached.

“Hey four eyes,” Rin greeted with a tiered smile.

“Hello Rin, You look thirsty. I know it’s not much but I got you some water,” The boy replied.

“Thanks, Yukio,”

Yukio….

YUKIO! 

Rin needed to save Yukio!

Rin spared no curiosity as he escaped from the room and began sprinting, just as in the beginning he had no idea where he was off to, but he knew it was somewhere.

He stumbled across a gravel path that confidently led to the doors of the gate which encased the castle.

“See I told you Mephisto boasted, looking over his shoulder as his tiny legs carried him within close proximity to Rin.

“Ehugh, I forgot how bad you smelled,” Rin reeled back as soon as the dog came close. 

“It’s your fault I smell like this,”

Amaimon didn’t engage in the conversation, he barely even stood there he was so quiet and meek. It was odd for the demon king, he normally was normally careless about things.

“Hey, Amaimon are you alright?” Rin asked, stepping closer to Amaimon. 

“Yes,” Amaimon took a step back, his boots scuffing against the pale gravel, but he said nothing of it.

Kuro hopped out of the demon’s arm and ran to Rin who gladly accepted the feline into his arms.

“Come along Rin, time is running short. If you want Yukio back as human as possible it’s necessary we hurry,” Mephisto directed walking up to the doors.

“Let me in,” he barked at the guards stationed at the top.

“I’m sorry my king but we cannot do that,” The demons replied, looking down on the small dog.

“Fine then we are doing this the hard way,” Purple magic spiraled around the dog as a pentagram formed above the two demons, a small crack in space and time formed just long enough for the guard to be devoured by the universe itself.

Soon after the doors swung open for the group, allowing them to just walk in.

The town was small and rustic but held a variety of cultures. Each building seemed to be from a different place as they were mangled together in some sort of franken-town. The very structure of the buildings was confusing and defying the laws of physics.

Kin roaming around the town, scoffed and laughed at the group but were quickly silenced by Samael’s range of magical abilities. Just as the group arrived gravity seemed to shut off, with Samael benign the only one who stayed planted on the ground. Amaimon and Rin were not so fortunate. They clung to the castle for support as gravity stopped working.

“What are you doing here?” A soft buzzing voice asked from a castle window. 

“I have come for my brother,” Rin growled, glaring daggers at the small fly that landed on the bridge of his nose

“The real question is why you are here Beezlbub,” Amaimon snarled moving closer to Rin so he could personally dispose of the pest.

“Abduxuel told me he was playing a game and I just so happened to be bored. I also needed an excuse to fill him in on the latest gossip in Gehenna,” Beezlebub replied while sitting on his perch. 

“Ug he picked up his gossip habit again?” Mephisto whined. “I will not be tolerating any more tea parties between the two at my place of residence, the two of you always make a mess of things,”

Beezlebub transferred to the small dog, provided Rin an idea. Mephisto hopped into the air trying to catch the fly in his mouth but he kept missing, still, it was a distraction Rin took advantage of. Using the zero-gravity Rin bost himself off the wall and latched onto the window sill, keeping himself steady as he climbed into the castle. 

Yukio grew anxious as the clock ticked closer and closer to the deadline. Ten more minutes till he was no longer Human.

At this point, he was desperately praying for Rin to arrive

All chatter stopped as the blue flamed savior had arrived. 

“Well this is a surprise,” Abduxuel muttered as his next plan of action snapped into place.

The short greeting was met with a line of fire that cut cleanly through the throne. Abduxuel managed to dodge the blast but not by much.

To save his own skin Abduxuel transferred himself and Rin to his favorite room of the castle.

Stone stairs produced from the walls in mangled patterns, this was yet another puzzle… Rin did not have any more patience for puzzles.

The audacity of this demon had finally pushed Rin over the edge.

In his blind rage, he began destroying anything and everything his eyes laid on.

Walls, stairs, and support beamed all mashed together in a pile of broken stone as Rin went about tearing through the castle for his target. 

When he got his claws on Abduxuel he would regret this, he would regret all of it.

Rin was no longer in a sane mind to care about pity, he was no longer restrained by human mortals. 

He was no longer encased in his human mind either, Rin was no longer the Rin Abduxuel had met before.

This Rin was buried deep inside the Nephilim, only escaping his worst moments and wreaking havoc in his human life.

This world was separate from Assiah, he could destroy it as much as he pleased.

During the destruction of the demonic rampage, Amaimon and Mephisto were able to slip through and find Yukio.

It was rather easy for Amaimon to break the lock and cage, saving the human from the area.

Mephisto, in courtesy to the human’s fragile mind, transported him back to the dorms.

What came next was not going to be pretty.

“ABDUXUEL,” RIn snarled as the demon tried to escape from the rampaging being.

Coming out of his hiding spot was by far the worst move he could have made as Rin tracked onto movements rather quickly.

Tackling and pinning the king was easy, too easy. 

Rin wanted a struggle, he needed a struggle.

Abduxuel squirmed and failed, he was desperately trying to escape from Rin but his host was far too weak from exhausting his powers trying to prevent Rin from reaching his twin in time.

Rin’s claws prickled through the fabric of Abduxuel’s clothes, how he would destroy this host there were so many possibilities.

Abduxuel foolishly continued to struggle, snapping Rin into action.

He dug his claws along the soft tissue ripping through; fabric, skin, and the delicate organs that were necessary for survival.

The stomach, kidneys, and lungs had no chance against the demon’s rage, nerve ending served and split only to be Cauterized as the rampant blue flames hit them only adding to agony.

Any human would have lost consciousness by now, but this prey was no human.

The soft pale flesh was now a saturated red with crimson buried at the deepest parts.

Blood pooled on Rin’s fingers and below Abduxuel, staining more than just the carpet below.

The elder demon tried to yowl in agony only to be silenced by a direct challenge, Rin’s jaws snapped around his throat, pressing hard enough his message out but not hard enough to crush.

Abduxuel’s green eyes met Rin’s glowing blue ones. 

Never had he felt more like prey than in that moment, and he hated it.

He hated all of this, he just wanted to play, this was only a game, so why?

Why was Rin doing this?

It wasn’t fun, no joy would be gained from this so why was he doing this?

He hadn’t done anything he would think pushed Rin too far, The Nephilim had been through worse and kept a steady head about it all.

“Rin,” Amaimon stumbled across the two and diverted Rin’s attention for the moment. “You can punish him later, you need food and rest,”

“No,” Rin growled animalistically going back to his prey that lay underneath his claws.

Amaimon took a step closer, and Rin snarled, blue light poured from around his fangs in a steady flame as he stood prepared to guard his prey.

He opted for the next best option, being an easier prey. 

Maybe, just maybe if he looked meeker Rin would let Abduxuel off and attack him instead. Abduxuel could heal and Mephisto could transport everyone back safely.

Amaimon lowered himself to the ground and laid out looking weakly over to Rin. The display of submission certainly captured Rin’s attention. He got off Abduxuel and crawled on all fours over to the submission demon.

Oddly enough he did not attack, but laid down next to the demon and laid his head on the stomach of his mate. Purring gently and he closed his eyes and relaxed his body, Amaimon was frozen in fear.

A different fear than Abduxuel, Amaimon did not wish to move the demon. Rin for being demonic as he was in the moment, looked so adorable.

“Amaimon?” Mephisto questioned as he arrived upon the scene, only to get a soft shush in reply. 

Amaimon clung to the hope that Rin could sleep off his tantrum, it would be best that way. Mephisto walked up to the two demons who were peacefully lying next together, then his attention went to Abduxuel.

“Amaimon, make sure Rin gets food and cleans up, I will join you in Assiah in a bit,” Mephisto ordered, stepping around them as a portal formed next to the sleepy demons. The demon king was now in his more familiar form and seemed to be equally as tired as the rest of them.

Amaimon got Rin through the portal. Of course, they just had to be at Mephisto’s mansion, he tended to be possessive after things like this after all. Magically without stirring him Amaimon managed to get Rin onto Mephisto’s bed, how he had no idea.

But as he moved away from the bed, Rin awoke. His blue eyes no longer held furry or anger but more a lazy haze. 

“Rin, go back to sleep,” Amaimon ordered softly to the king, it was not his place to order Rin but he did it anyway.

“Stay,” Rin ordered in response.

Now he was at an impasse, Rin needed sleep and food but he couldn’t stay with Rin when the food was in the kitchen. Only to add insult to injury Amaimon had already drained up his energy commanding the hobgoblins and searching for Rin through the earth.

“Amaimon, get into bed with Rin, I will get Belial to prepare a bath for us… I will get food for us if you can look after him for the time being,” Mephisto sighed, holding a dangling ferret by its bottom legs. The European mammal did not appreciate being upside down but there was little it could do to stop that.

Amaimon accepted the animal into his arms and sauntered over to Rin. Thankfully there was no conflict between the cat snake and Rin, both Abduxuel and Rin seemed too tired for that.

Mephisto soon returned with the food, three in human form ate and then took the time to bathe. It took the collective energy of both Mephisto and Amaimon to keep Rin somewhat awake as they bathed. But in the end, it was worth it, they were clean, full, and tired. It didn’t take long after they got out of the baths to fall asleep.

The blue ferret sat in a small box, as regret poured over him, he desperately wished to join them but he knew it may only cause problems. So Abduxuel soon fell asleep dreading the morning.

**Author's Note:**

> Sadly Abduxuel never got the dance. A true tragedy, so if you somehow made it this far then congrats. Idk how you did it, I got bored of reading halfway through when I was double-checking (for editing’s sake). So I hope this one-shot was a good thanksgiving gift. Also, Rip Mephisto’s coat.


End file.
